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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. field — farmland
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rock — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. field — for sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rest — a break
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. key — in music
  24. shower — rain

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