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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.

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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: cold · wound · date · bowl · dip · safe · lean · bear

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — thin
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. dip — to sink
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wound — an injury
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bear — to put up with

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