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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pop — music
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lean — thin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pop — soda
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wake — a trail

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