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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 · perch · race · field · chest · bank · court · staff

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — farmland
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. staff — employees
  7. chest — a box
  8. field — a subject
  9. race — a contest
  10. court — of a king
  11. race — the arms race
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — for sport
  14. race — humankind
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bank — for money
  18. court — of law
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — for sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. staff — a stick

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