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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: bulb · cabinet · land · chair · bore · date · safe · mug

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — to come down
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mug — a face
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — ground
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chair — a leader
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mug — a cup
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — a country

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