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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 116 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: tear · stick · mug · safe · sharp · saw · field · deal

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. deal — to handle
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mug — a face
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. field — for sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. tear — from crying
  23. deal — an agreement
  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