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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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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: date · roll · safe · mine · wind · wave · chair · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. roll — a list
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. roll — a cake
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mine — for digging

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