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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 120 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: racket · mouse · spring · chest · deal · squash · key · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. key — the most important part
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chest — a box
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. squash — the sport
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — of water
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. key — in music

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