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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.

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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: bear · tear · game · stick · mine · wound · lash · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. key — in music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mine — for digging
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — a match
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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