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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: staff · bear · net · roll · key · tear · wake · safe

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. key — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. net — after costs
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — a list
  21. net — in sport
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wake — a trail
  24. safe — a strongbox

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