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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.

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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: can · key · stem · face · clip · mark · rash · saw

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. face — to confront
  3. can — a tin
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. key — the most important part
  11. can — a tin
  12. key — in music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — a series
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. can — to be able to
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. mark — a trace

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