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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — ground
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — to come down
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. key — in music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — of water
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. face — to confront
  21. staff — a stick
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cap — a lid
  24. land — a country

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