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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: cap · key · content · wound · lie · row · spring · pass

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. content — happy
  9. key — the most important part
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. key — in music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — the season
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — a permit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — the amount
  24. row — a line

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