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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rock — music
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kid — child
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitch — completely
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bank — of a river

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