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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mate — to breed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mate — a partner
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mate — a friend

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