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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: lean · mug · tube · key · rest · wake · arm · tear

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — in music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mug — to rob
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — a cup
  10. tube — a container
  11. lean — thin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to bend
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — to rip
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rest — a break
  23. mug — a face
  24. lean — to rest against

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