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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 124 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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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: nail · rush · face · perch · bore · branch · sharp · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. sharp — clever
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. perch — the fish
  6. key — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — hurry
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. face — part of the head
  24. branch — of a bank

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