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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 120 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: leaves · saw · nail · safe · fall · staff · field · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. field — farmland
  3. staff — a stick
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. staff — employees
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — soda
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. safe — out of danger

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