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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 116 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: key · bore · stem · ball · sharp · deal · pitcher · band

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. bore — to drill
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — for a lock
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. ball — a great time
  15. key — in music
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bore — to tire
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. band — a music group
  23. ball — a round shape
  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