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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: wake · cabinet · fork · net · roll · rock · safe · craft

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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 — out of danger
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. craft — boats
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wake — a trail
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. net — after costs
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. roll — a list
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. craft — a skill
  23. roll — on a roll
  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