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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 120 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: cold · key · firm · squash · lean · chest · cue · branch

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. key — in music
  3. chest — a box
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cue — for pool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. squash — the sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chest — of your body
  14. firm — decided
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lean — thin
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cue — a signal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. firm — a company
  24. key — for a lock

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