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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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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: safe · mine · perch · bark · mate · stem · field · pass

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pass — a permit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mate — a friend
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mate — to breed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. field — for sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mine — an explosive
  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