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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · capital · spell · cell · bound · snap · stock · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bound — obliged
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bound — tied together
  7. key — in music
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. capital — a city
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spell — magic
  19. key — for a lock
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. key — the most important part
  24. snap — to click

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