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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mate — a partner
  7. band — a music group
  8. mate — to breed
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bear — the animal
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. key — for a lock
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mate — a friend
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. swing — music
  24. band — a rubber band

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