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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pound — a weight
  4. season — of the year
  5. scale — in music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. key — for a lock
  9. scale — size or range
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. season — in sport
  13. key — in music
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stem — to come from
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. root — the cause
  23. key — the most important part
  24. squash — the sport

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