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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. clip — a video
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — to come from
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rest — a break
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rock — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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