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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. root — of a word
  5. key — for a lock
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — a division
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. root — the cause
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kick — in football
  21. key — the most important part
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mouse — for a computer

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