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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: pit · kick · tear · stem · safe · drill

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a hole
  9. drill — a practice
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tear — to rip
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kick — a thrill

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