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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · net · hide · pitcher · safe · spell · cold · trunk

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. net — in sport
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spell — magic
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. spell — a short time
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. net — after costs
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — letters
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. hide — animal skin

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