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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: cap · scale · mug · wound · fork · tear · safe · cabinet

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fork — in a road
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mug — a face
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cap — a hat
  24. safe — out of danger

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