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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stick · staff · hand · safe · mine · scale · ground · fall

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ground — crushed
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. scale — size or range
  19. staff — employees
  20. ground — the earth
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ground — a position
  24. fall — the season

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