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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: mine · tear · mark · mate · field · bank · safe · kick

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mate — to breed
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bank — of a river
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — for money
  14. mark — a trace
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — for sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — a subject
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kick — in football

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