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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. key — in music
  3. firm — a company
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. key — for a lock
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — of water
  24. cell — in a prison

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