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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: cap · stem · key · straw · lean · track · racket · wind

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. lean — thin
  4. key — in music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cap — of ice
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. key — for a lock
  15. track — a song
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cap — a lid
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. key — the most important part

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