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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. key — in music
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. march — music
  8. current — happening now
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. key — the most important part
  11. current — of water
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. current — electric
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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