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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: bay · tube · drill · lean · sharp · kid · safe · bear

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. drill — a practice
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kid — child
  14. bear — the animal
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — army training

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