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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: wind · kick · pop · snap · safe · stem · chair · track

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. track — to keep track
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pop — music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. snap — to click
  11. pop — soda
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kick — in football
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wind — moving air
  17. track — a path
  18. wind — moving air
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. track — a song
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pop — to visit
  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