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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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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: plane · wake · staff · game · lie · straw · key · spring

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — employees
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spring — of water
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a match
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wake — a trail
  18. plane — a tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — the season
  24. key — for a lock

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