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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: nail · stem · sharp · march · key · lean · shower · band

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stem — to come from
  8. march — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. sharp — clever
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. band — a ring
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. shower — rain
  19. band — a music group
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. shower — to wash
  23. key — in music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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