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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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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. object — to protest
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. content — happy
  15. object — an aim
  16. stem — to come from
  17. content — the amount
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. object — a thing

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