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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 · leaves · stick · date · pound · mug · cold · saw

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mug — a face
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pound — a weight

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