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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: land · stem · rest · can · hand · track · key · sharp

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. can — a tin
  4. rest — a break
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. land — a country
  7. sharp — clever
  8. can — to be able to
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stem — to come from
  11. track — a song
  12. hand — help
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. track — a path
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — in cards
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. key — in music
  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