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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. key — in music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stem — to come from
  5. root — the cause
  6. land — ground
  7. spring — the season
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spring — a coil
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — the tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — of a word
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. plane — a tool
  20. present — there
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spring — of water

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