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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · content · prune · sharp · hand · hide · saw · race

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hand — help
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. race — humankind
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. race — the arms race
  18. saw — the tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — the amount
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hide — animal skin

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