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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
468
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: stem · key · lean · nail · hand · face · chip · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. hand — help
  3. cold — an illness
  4. face — to point toward
  5. key — the most important part
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chip — to eat
  14. key — for a lock
  15. face — to confront
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. key — in music
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lean — thin
  22. hand — in cards
  23. face — part of the head
  24. nail — for a hammer

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