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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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Word bank
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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fork — in a road
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. key — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. band — a ring
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stem — of a plant

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