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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. key — for a lock
  3. present — a gift
  4. key — in music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. hand — help
  8. spring — of water
  9. deal — to handle
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — magic
  12. spring — a coil
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — the season
  17. present — the time now
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. present — there
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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