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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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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: saw · bass · plane · key · cabinet · safe · swing · staff

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — low music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. staff — employees
  9. key — the most important part
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. swing — to play on
  13. key — in music
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bass — the fish
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. swing — music

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