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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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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 · object · key · fall · ground · hand · race · chest

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chest — a box
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — help
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ground — the earth
  9. object — an aim
  10. race — the arms race
  11. object — to protest
  12. key — in music
  13. ground — a position
  14. fall — the season
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — in cards
  20. race — a contest
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chest — of your body

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