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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: pit · kick · tear · stem · safe · drill · race · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kick — in football
  4. pit — a hole
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spring — of water
  7. pit — in a race
  8. drill — army training
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spring — a coil
  14. race — a contest
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stem — to come from
  22. race — humankind
  23. drill — the tool
  24. tear — to rip

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