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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. drill — a practice
  4. row — a line
  5. bound — obliged
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stem — to come from
  10. drill — the tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. staff — employees
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — money
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. capital — a city

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