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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stem — to come from
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — the amount
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. content — happy
  15. chair — a leader
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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