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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: bore · staff · saw · chest · stick · land · pass · safe

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — to drill
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — ground
  20. staff — a stick
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. land — a country

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