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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. drill — army training
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. charge — a price
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. field — a subject
  7. capital — money
  8. field — farmland
  9. key — in music
  10. charge — in control
  11. field — for sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — in sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. charge — electricity
  20. drill — a practice
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. key — the most important part
  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