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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 · plane · key · bound · march · mouse · game · stock

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bound — certain
  3. march — the month
  4. key — for a lock
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. plane — a tool
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. march — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — a match
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — goods
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stock — shares
  24. stem — to come from

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