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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 116 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: content · season · stick · tear · cabinet · lean · key · lash

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. season — in sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lean — thin
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. content — the amount
  14. lean — to bend
  15. content — happy
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. season — of the year
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. key — in music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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