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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. key — in music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ground — crushed
  7. face — to confront
  8. ground — the earth
  9. capital — money
  10. stem — to come from
  11. race — the arms race
  12. key — the most important part
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. face — to point toward
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. ground — a position
  22. key — for a lock
  23. face — part of the head
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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