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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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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — of water
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bound — certain
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rash — a series
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spring — the season
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stem — a stem cell

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