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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. current — happening now
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — electric
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. current — of water
  11. key — in music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mark — a grade
  19. clip — for paper
  20. key — the most important part
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. clip — a video
  23. mark — a trace
  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