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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · wound · object · stem · can · key · land · bass

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. object — a thing
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — to come down
  8. key — in music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. key — the most important part
  11. object — to protest
  12. key — for a lock
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. can — a tin
  16. object — an aim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stem — to come from

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