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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rock — a stone
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — the season
  12. current — electric
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — soda
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pop — to visit

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