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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: hide · stem · chest · kick · safe · bass · bay · date

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bass — low music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kick — in football
  14. chest — a box
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. date — the fruit
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. safe — out of danger

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