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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: date · safe · cell · cabinet · mouse · fall · wake · rock

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fall — the season
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rock — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — to drop
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wake — before a funeral

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