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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: rest · fall · lean · spell · swing · hide · object · key

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spell — magic
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. object — an aim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — to play on
  10. object — to protest
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — in music
  14. lean — thin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. object — a thing
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — music
  23. rest — a break
  24. spell — letters

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