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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. craft — boats
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stem — to come from
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bound — certain
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bound — obliged

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