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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 · firm · wake · spring · content · date · dip · last

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. content — happy
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. firm — decided
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spring — the season
  13. dip — to sink
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — of water
  18. date — the fruit
  19. content — the amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — a coil
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wake — a trail
  24. last — final

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