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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: fork · foot · safe · tear · chair · saw · lean · wake

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tear — to rip
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chair — a leader
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. foot — a measure
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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