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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — finally
  3. tube — a container
  4. last — to go on
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a music group
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. shower — rain
  10. key — in music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — final
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. band — a ring
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. tube — the underground

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