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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. club — a group
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rash — hasty
  6. key — for a lock
  7. club — for golf
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — a tin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — a line
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. date — the fruit
  17. key — the most important part
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. can — a tin
  24. key — in music

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