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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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468
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: bulb · tear · hand · safe · pass · press · bat · stem

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bat — the animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hand — help
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tear — to rip
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. safe — a strongbox

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