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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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: pound · spring · lean · key · capital · face · root · leaves

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. root — of a word
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — the cause
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pound — a weight
  11. face — to point toward
  12. capital — a city
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. capital — money
  17. face — to confront
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — in music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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