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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: leaves · drill · bass · cap · band · clip · stem · key

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. key — the most important part
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. bass — the fish
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bass — low music
  15. cap — a hat
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cap — a lid
  18. drill — the tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. clip — a video
  21. cap — of ice
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. clip — to cut
  24. band — a music group

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