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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · lie · swing · shower · field · bear · sharp · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lie — to recline
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — clever
  13. shower — rain
  14. swing — in golf
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. plane — a tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. swing — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  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