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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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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: bear · cell · lean · march · safe · fork · nail · chair

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lean — to bend
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lean — thin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bear — the animal
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — a phone
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. march — music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fork — to eat with

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