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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: fine · field · cabinet · cell · mate · wave · pop · safe

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pop — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pop — soda
  7. mate — a partner
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — all right
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mate — a friend

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