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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 · safe · bulb · deal · mine · field · track · sharp

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. 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. track — to keep track
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. staff — a stick
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. field — farmland
  8. track — a path
  9. deal — to handle
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — for digging
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — a subject
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — for sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. 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