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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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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: drill · cell · bear · last · wound · safe · board · object

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. drill — army training
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wound — an injury
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. board — a committee
  18. cell — in biology
  19. board — to get on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — to go on
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bear — the 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