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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: can · fan · pop · wake · lean · key · kid · mine

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — thin
  6. pop — soda
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. can — a tin
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pop — music
  24. lean — to bend

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