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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · net · lean · bound · tear · key · land · spell

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spell — magic
  6. net — in sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. key — in music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. scale — in music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lean — to bend
  14. net — for catching
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — tied together
  17. key — for a lock
  18. land — ground
  19. scale — size or range
  20. net — after costs
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — to come down

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