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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: pound · game · stick · lie · chest · patient · spring · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chest — of your body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. pound — a weight
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. game — a match
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — to recline
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pound — for dogs

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