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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — to wash
  11. present — a gift
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. key — in music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chest — of your body
  19. present — there
  20. stem — to come from
  21. present — the time now
  22. chest — a box
  23. shower — rain
  24. bear — the animal

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