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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: hide · kid · toast · stem · safe · march · club · face

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. club — a group
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. face — to confront
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. club — for golf
  10. toast — bread
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. march — music
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. face — to point toward

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