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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — the earth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — a position
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. key — in music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. band — a music group
  19. stem — to come from
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

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