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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. key — for a lock
  3. face — to confront
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. stem — to come from
  6. board — a committee
  7. foot — a measure
  8. key — in music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. face — to point toward
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. band — a ring
  14. board — to get on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. face — part of the head
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. band — a music group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. foot — part of the body

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