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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: staff · tube · saw · cap · mark · date · stick · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. date — the fruit
  4. tube — a container
  5. staff — employees
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mark — a trace
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mark — a grade
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — the underground
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. staff — employees
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. staff — a stick

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