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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ground — a position
  4. last — to go on
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chest — a box
  8. suit — in cards
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. last — finally
  13. chest — of your body
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. suit — to fit
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. suit — clothes

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