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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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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: toast · key · stem · can · cold · chest · fork · rock

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. key — for a lock
  7. can — a tin
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. can — to be able to
  12. key — in music
  13. toast — bread
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. can — a tin
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chest — a box
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chest — of your body

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