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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: cell · cap · staff · safe · kid · bass · plane · saw

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. plane — a tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bass — the fish
  20. kid — child
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — to tease
  23. saw — the tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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