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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — in music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stem — to come from
  21. deal — to handle
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. trunk — of a car

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