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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: cold · perch · chest · mine · bulb · lie · craft · safe

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mine — for digging
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chest — a box
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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