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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — part of the head
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. row — a line
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stem — to come from
  17. staff — a stick
  18. clip — a video
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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