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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 · key · pop · straw · face · dip · wind · perch

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pop — soda
  3. key — for a lock
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. dip — to sink
  7. key — in music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — to come from
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pop — to visit
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pop — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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