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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. key — in music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bark — to shout
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — to tease
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. roll — a list
  17. kid — child
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. key — the most important part
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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