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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: safe · chair · board · file · saw · perch · rush · spring

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spring — a coil
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a line of people
  5. board — to get on
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. file — a document
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spring — the season
  13. board — a committee
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. file — a tool
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. chair — a leader
  22. spring — of water
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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