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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Vegetables are growing 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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. field — for sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — a tool
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — to come from
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. kid — child
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kid — to tease
  24. field — farmland

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