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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. shower — to wash
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stem — to come from
  11. shower — rain
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chest — of your body
  14. board — a committee
  15. capital — money
  16. chest — a box
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — a city
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. board — to get on
  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