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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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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: face · safe · pit · cold · wave · branch · bowl · saw

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pit — a hole
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cold — an illness

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