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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: safe · root · swing · stem · bear · bowl · cold · cabinet

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. swing — music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. swing — to play on
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. root — of a plant
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bear — the animal

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