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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. scale — in music
  3. bank — for money
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. key — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chest — a box
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ground — the earth
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — a position

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