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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. saw — the tool
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. row — a line
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spring — the season
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wind — moving air
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — of water
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pit — a hole
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — to turn a key

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