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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: stem · pitcher · drill · present · deal · spring · ball · key

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. present — the time now
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. present — there
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — the season
  14. present — a gift
  15. key — in music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ball — a dance
  21. drill — army training
  22. spring — of water
  23. key — for a lock
  24. stem — to come from

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