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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: tube · saw · safe · wake · roll · field · cap · staff

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. field — a subject
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. field — farmland
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. staff — a stick
  10. roll — a list
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. roll — a cake
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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