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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: game · tear · safe · mine · bulb · pit · mouse · wake

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bulb — for light
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pit — in a race
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — an explosive

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