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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — a series
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. stem — to come from
  7. club — a group
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bore — to drill
  14. clip — a video
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. club — for golf
  24. cap — a hat

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