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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: craft · field · cabinet · safe · wave · vault · cap · squash

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — farmland
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. field — a subject
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — for sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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