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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.

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: lean · foot · key · roll · land · chest · can · wind

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — the most important part
  5. roll — a list
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — thin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. land — a country
  15. key — in music
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chest — a box
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wind — moving air
  20. roll — a cake
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lean — to rest against

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