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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. track — to keep track
  3. object — to protest
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pop — soda
  16. key — in music
  17. pop — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. track — a path
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spell — letters
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — a song
  24. fork — to eat with

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