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

Word bank: foot · nail · saw · cold · stem · kick · field · safe

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kick — in football
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cold — an illness
  11. field — for sport
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. field — a subject
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. foot — a measure
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — farmland
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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