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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bank — for money
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stem — to come from
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rush — hurry
  21. row — a line
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. key — in music

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