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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spring — the season
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. cue — a hint
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. race — a contest
  15. board — a committee
  16. race — humankind
  17. board — to get on
  18. cue — for pool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fan — a supporter

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