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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lean — thin
  6. scale — in music
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lean — to bend
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — size or range

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