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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: snap · straw · chair · safe · spell · stem · cap · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spell — letters
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cap — of ice
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cap — a lid
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spell — magic
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rest — a break
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spell — a short time
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — to come from
  21. snap — to click
  22. cap — a hat
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chair — to sit on

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