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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: track · safe · rule · net · content · band · spring · field

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. field — farmland
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. track — a path
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rule — government
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — a subject
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. net — after costs
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. net — in sport
  23. track — a song
  24. spring — of water

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