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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: deal · face · pitcher · mine · stem · key · nail · pit

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stem — to come from
  3. face — to confront
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. key — the most important part
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. key — in music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mine — belonging to me

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