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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 · wind · track · perch · stem · rest · wound · key

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rest — a break
  5. track — a song
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wound — an injury

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