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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 · trunk · saw · fan · leaves · hand · dip · game

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. hand — help
  5. game — a match
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — in cards
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. dip — to sink
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. game — wild animals
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. dip — a sauce

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