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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. field — for sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. key — for a lock
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. snap — to click
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. field — a subject
  20. key — in music
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. root — of a word
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. field — farmland

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