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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · plane · squash · key · lean · pound · cell · spring

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spring — a coil
  3. key — the most important part
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cell — a phone
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — in music
  13. suit — to fit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. squash — the sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. lean — thin
  18. spring — the season
  19. suit — clothes
  20. spring — of water
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pound — a weight
  24. suit — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com