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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 116 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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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: wave · deal · cold · plane · cell · bowl · safe · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cold — not warm
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wave — with your hand

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