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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: spring · dip · lean · cap · rock · tear · temple · key

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rock — a stone
  6. dip — to sink
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — a hat
  11. key — in music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rock — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. lean — thin
  17. tear — to rip
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — of water
  20. cap — a lid
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spring — the season
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cap — of ice

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