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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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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: bear · mate · pitcher · hand · swing · lean · trunk · key

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hand — in cards
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — help
  7. bear — the animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mate — a partner
  13. swing — to play on
  14. key — in music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lean — thin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. swing — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. hand — part of the body

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