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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: hide · deal · key · branch · lash · lean · tear · spring

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spring — the season
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. spring — of water
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — thin
  16. branch — a division
  17. lean — to bend
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — animal skin

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