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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: wake · current · stick · saw · ground · land · row · safe

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. land — ground
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. current — happening now
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — a trail
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ground — crushed
  14. current — electric
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. land — to come down
  17. ground — a position
  18. land — a country
  19. row — a line
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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