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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: ground · lean · plane · coach · key · hand · land · staff

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. plane — a tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — a position
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hand — in cards
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. staff — employees
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ground — the earth
  16. land — to come down
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — help
  22. staff — a stick
  23. land — a country
  24. key — in music

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