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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: field · file · safe · snap · wake · mate

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — for sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mate — a friend
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mate — a partner
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — farmland
  13. snap — to click
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. safe — a strongbox

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