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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. root — of a word
  3. stem — to come from
  4. present — a gift
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. swing — to play on
  8. present — the time now
  9. content — the amount
  10. present — there
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. last — to go on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. content — happy
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. root — the cause
  18. swing — music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — final
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wave — with your hand

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