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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — of water
  6. key — for a lock
  7. saw — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. current — happening now
  10. stem — to come from
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. key — in music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. rest — a break
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to click
  19. capital — money
  20. current — electric
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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