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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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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: key · lean · cold · bank · net · craft · row · pass

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. key — the most important part
  6. net — after costs
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — a permit
  11. lean — to bend
  12. key — for a lock
  13. net — in sport
  14. key — in music
  15. net — for catching
  16. bank — for money
  17. craft — boats
  18. lean — thin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. row — a line
  23. craft — a skill
  24. cold — not warm

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