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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — government
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. root — of a plant
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. root — the cause
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fall — the season
  17. root — of a word
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fall — to drop
  21. shower — rain
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rule — a law
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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