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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — to paddle
  6. staff — a stick
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. staff — employees
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. row — a line
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. staff — employees
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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