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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kick — in football
  3. can — a tin
  4. spring — the season
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. key — in music
  11. spring — of water
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. row — a line
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spring — a coil
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stem — of a plant

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