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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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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 · plane · rash · wake · vault · bear · lie · cell

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. plane — a tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rash — a series
  9. cell — a phone
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cell — in biology
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. safe — a strongbox

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