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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. key — in music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stem — to come from
  6. band — a ring
  7. present — a gift
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — help
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — in cards
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. band — a music group
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. present — the time now
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. roll — a list
  24. present — there

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