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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 · stem · lash · drill · cell · bowl · band · foot

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cell — a phone
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a music group
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. drill — army training
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. band — a ring
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cell — in biology
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stem — to come from

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