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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spell — a short time
  5. season — in sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. season — of the year
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chest — a box
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — to add flavour

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