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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: track · race · safe · spring · band · lie · hand · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — help
  6. spring — the season
  7. race — a contest
  8. band — a ring
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lie — to recline
  12. track — a song
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — a path
  17. race — humankind
  18. stem — to come from
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — a coil
  22. race — the arms race
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stem — of a plant

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