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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. snap — to click
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — of water
  10. lean — thin
  11. land — ground
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spring — a coil
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rush — hurry
  18. shower — to wash
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ground — the earth
  21. lean — to bend
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. safe — out of danger

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