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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · field · wave · pitcher · cold · craft · charge

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. craft — boats
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — for sport
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. field — farmland
  14. cold — an illness
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. charge — in control
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — a subject
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. craft — a skill
  24. branch — a division

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