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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: lie · key · bulb · perch · roll · chair · stick · wound

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a cake
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. roll — a list
  13. chair — a leader
  14. key — in music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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