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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: chest · snap · rest · stem · rule · safe · wound · foot

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. snap — to click
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chest — a box
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wound — an injury
  15. foot — a measure
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chest — of your body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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