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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kid — child
  3. bank — for money
  4. club — for golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. club — for dancing
  7. shower — rain
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. bank — of a river
  11. toast — bread
  12. club — a group
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — to tease
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. swing — music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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