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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wind — moving air
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cue — a signal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. safe — out of danger

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