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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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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: file · bank · cell · safe · race · wind · perch · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. mate — a friend
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. file — a tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bank — for money
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. perch — the fish
  21. race — the arms race
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. file — a document

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