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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: safe · bass · mate · present · last · prune · lean · deal

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — to go on
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. last — final
  6. mate — a friend
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. present — a gift
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mate — to breed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — finally
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — there
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. deal — to handle
  22. present — the time now
  23. bass — the instrument
  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