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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: can · bear · band · roll · hand · safe · spring · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bear — the animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. roll — a cake
  12. spring — of water
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — a position
  15. band — a ring
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hand — in cards
  18. can — a tin
  19. roll — a list
  20. hand — help
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — the earth

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