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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: race · stem · band · lean · sharp · drill · key · perch

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. key — the most important part
  3. perch — the fish
  4. race — the arms race
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. drill — a practice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. race — humankind
  13. lean — thin
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. band — a ring
  18. race — a contest
  19. key — in music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — to come from
  24. key — for a lock

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