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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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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: chest · degree · bay · bear · nail · row · key · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chest — a box
  5. key — for a lock
  6. row — a line
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bear — the animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lean — thin
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. key — in music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bear — the animal
  24. degree — from a university

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