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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to click
  3. key — for a lock
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bound — tied together
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — the most important part
  13. staff — a stick
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bound — certain
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. staff — employees
  22. key — in music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stem — to come from

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