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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 124 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — of water
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fine — all right
  11. game — a match
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — the season
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fine — high quality
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. roll — a list
  23. spring — a coil
  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