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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. key — in music
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. club — a group
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hand — help
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — to wash
  11. key — for a lock
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — the most important part
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. shower — rain
  17. pit — a hole
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pit — in a race
  23. root — of a word
  24. club — for golf

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