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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: club · craft · capital · stem · key · leaves · face · shower

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stem — to come from
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. club — a group
  5. key — the most important part
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — part of the head
  14. club — for golf
  15. shower — rain
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. shower — to wash
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. club — for dancing

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