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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · trunk · ground · sharp · key · kid · lie · jam

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ground — crushed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — the earth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — a position
  10. lie — to recline
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — to come from
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. sharp — exactly

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