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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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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 · fine · season · bound · capital · can · rest · key

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. capital — money
  4. fine — all right
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — in music
  7. season — of the year
  8. can — a tin
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bound — certain
  11. season — in sport
  12. capital — a city
  13. key — for a lock
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rest — a break
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — tied together
  24. key — the most important part

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