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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bass — the fish
  4. last — to go on
  5. wax — to grow
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. last — finally
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. root — of a plant
  13. last — final
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bass — low music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. key — in music
  24. snap — to click

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