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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: game · straw · stem · ground · face · rush · present · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. face — part of the head
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. present — there
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — to come from
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — a position
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. present — a gift
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — hurry
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — to confront
  24. game — wild animals

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