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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. rock — music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bass — low music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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