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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: safe · wound · field · sharp · nail · snap · can · saw

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — a tin
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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