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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kid — to tease
  3. board — to get on
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. craft — a skill
  8. board — a committee
  9. kid — child
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to click
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. key — for a lock
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. capital — money
  21. craft — boats
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — a city

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