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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cold — an illness
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — out of danger

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