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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bound — tied together
  6. capital — a city
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bound — obliged
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — certain
  16. key — in music
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. capital — money
  19. deal — to handle
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fork — in a road
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a big letter

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