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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 120 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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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: staff · swing · mate · temple · stem · safe · charge · prune

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — to breed
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. staff — a stick
  6. charge — a price
  7. swing — in golf
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stem — to come from
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. charge — in control
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mate — a friend
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. swing — music

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