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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · scale · date · key · plane · chest · mine · cap

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lean — thin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — to bend
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cap — of ice
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chest — of your body
  11. date — the fruit
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cap — a lid
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cap — a hat
  22. key — in music
  23. chest — a box
  24. mine — an explosive

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