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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
468
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: arm · spell · key · stem · cap · board · ground · bat

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ground — a position
  10. cap — a lid
  11. board — to get on
  12. ground — crushed
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spell — magic
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. board — a committee
  24. spell — letters

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