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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: object · safe · chest · mine · stem · land · pitch · cell

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — ground
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. land — a country
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — an aim
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. object — to protest
  22. chest — a box
  23. land — to come down
  24. safe — a strongbox

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