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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. spell — letters
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. capital — money
  10. bear — the animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spell — magic
  14. bear — the animal
  15. current — electric
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. key — for a lock
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — to come from
  24. capital — a big letter

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