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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 116 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 · hand · mouse · key · fine · fork · pop · wound

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hand — help
  7. fork — in a road
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fine — all right
  12. key — in music
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pop — music
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pop — soda
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — a stem cell

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