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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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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: rash · content · hand · key · stand · club · lean · tear

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. rash — a series
  2. lean — to bend
  3. content — happy
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — in cards
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. club — for golf
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — to rip
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. key — in music
  20. stand — to bear
  21. content — the amount
  22. hand — help
  23. lean — thin
  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