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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. hand — in cards
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — a stick
  13. key — the most important part
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — low music
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. key — in music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — the fish

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