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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
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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: saw · spell · fork · file · court · object · stem · key

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. key — the most important part
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fork — in a road
  8. object — an aim
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. object — a thing
  11. key — in music
  12. spell — letters
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. key — for a lock
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. file — a document
  23. court — for sport
  24. saw — the tool

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