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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — a box
  15. ball — a dance
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. track — a song
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. track — to keep track
  24. safe — out of danger

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