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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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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: ball · prune · tear · cell · safe · cap · saw · mouse

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cell — in biology
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cap — of ice
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cell — in a prison

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