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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bulb — for light
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — magic
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. key — in music

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