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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. key — in music
  3. pop — music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a great time
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. key — the most important part
  13. prune — to trim
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stem — to come from
  18. current — of water
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. capital — money
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. current — electric
  23. capital — a city
  24. stem — a stem cell

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