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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: wound · last · sharp · lean · lash · object · band · key

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. key — the most important part
  3. object — a thing
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lean — to bend
  6. last — final
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. key — in music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. last — finally
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — an aim
  22. last — to go on
  23. band — a music group
  24. object — to protest

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