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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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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: plane · bore · field · mug · cabinet · wound · safe · net

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mug — a face
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — after costs
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. net — for catching
  17. wound — an injury
  18. plane — a tool
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — to rob
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bore — to tire

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