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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kick — in football
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. branch — a division
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fork — in a road
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — to come down
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. key — the most important part
  12. game — a match
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. key — for a lock
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. land — a country
  24. key — in music

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