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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: last · safe · wake · mine · chest · rock · spell · calf

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spell — letters
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — finally
  19. spell — magic
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rock — music
  24. calf — a young animal

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