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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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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: spring · cell · firm · sharp · safe · march · stick · ground

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. firm — a company
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. spring — the season
  7. firm — steady
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. firm — decided
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — a position
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — the earth
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cell — in biology

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