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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: hand · march · root · bay · rule · chest · safe · stem

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rule — a law
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. chest — of your body
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. root — of a word
  7. chest — a box
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rule — government
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. root — the cause
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. hand — help
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. march — music

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