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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · mate · leaves · tear · safe · stem

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stem — to come from
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kick — in football
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stem — a stem cell

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