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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 116 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: stem · land · safe · press · mate · racket · content · key

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. land — to come down
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. press — a publisher
  8. key — for a lock
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — newspapers
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mate — a friend
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. content — happy
  17. press — to push
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mate — to breed
  20. key — in music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. content — videos and posts

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