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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · bear · wake · spring · rash · roll · fork · row

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rash — hasty
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. spring — a coil
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rash — a series
  13. row — a line
  14. roll — a list
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fork — in a road
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spring — the season
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bear — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — of water
  24. fork — a garden tool

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