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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spell — letters
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. face — to confront
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. face — part of the head
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spell — magic
  10. key — for a lock
  11. face — to point toward
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spell — a short time
  16. key — in music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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