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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bank — for money
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. key — in music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bank — of a river
  22. court — for sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. leaves — to go away

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