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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fall — the season
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pit — a hole
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cap — a lid
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pit — in a race
  21. key — in music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — child
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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