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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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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: leaves · rush · land · stem · nail · safe · bowl · march

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rush — hurry
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — a country
  8. stem — to come from
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — ground
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rush — a thrill

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