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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 120 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: safe · face · wake · mine · lie · clip · leaves · saw

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lie — to recline
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. clip — a video
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — to confront
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wake — a trail

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