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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — finally
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chest — a box
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ground — a position
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ground — crushed
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — for sculpting

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