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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: cold · bank · safe · field · firm · current · staff · mine

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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 — a strongbox
  2. firm — a company
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. firm — decided
  5. current — electric
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mine — for digging
  8. current — happening now
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bank — for money
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — farmland
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — steady
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — of water
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — a subject
  21. bank — of a river
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — for sport
  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