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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: stem · spring · board · deal · key · saw · race · ground

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — the season
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ground — crushed
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. board — to get on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. race — a contest
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stem — to come from
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. deal — to handle
  22. race — humankind
  23. spring — of water
  24. key — the most important part

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