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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 120 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: safe · stem · pitch · mouse · content · wave · land · bat

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. land — a country
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. land — to come down
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. land — ground

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