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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. key — in music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. can — to be able to
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. can — a tin
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. band — a music group
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a ring
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chest — a box
  24. prune — the fruit

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