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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: key · pass · lean · cap · field · sharp · prune · bound

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — for sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bound — certain
  10. cap — a lid
  11. field — a subject
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. field — farmland
  15. cap — a hat
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bound — obliged
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cap — of ice
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — thin

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