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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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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: board · ground · leaves · key · suit · row · stem · prune

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. suit — clothes
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. ground — crushed
  7. key — in music
  8. row — a line
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ground — a position
  11. board — to get on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — the earth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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