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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: safe · wound · mine · sharp · rock · drill · net · lean

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to bend
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. drill — the tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — clever
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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