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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stem — to come from
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — magic
  9. current — happening now
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. season — in sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spell — letters
  17. key — in music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. club — for dancing
  20. current — electric
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. season — of the year
  24. spell — a short time

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