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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: rest · safe · arm · kick · land · swing · date · stem

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — to come from
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. swing — music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rest — a break
  10. swing — in golf
  11. land — a country
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. land — to come down
  17. swing — to play on
  18. kick — in football
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. date — the fruit
  24. arm — a part of something

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