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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 116 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — in cards
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — help
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — finally
  18. key — in music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. last — final
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fork — to eat with

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