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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hand — in cards
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spell — letters

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