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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bound — certain
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. last — finally
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spring — the season
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pass — a permit
  13. key — for a lock
  14. last — to go on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — final
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — in music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bound — obliged

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