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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: drill · spring · race · land · wound · calf · safe · kid

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. kid — to tease
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — of water
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. land — ground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — the season
  19. kid — child
  20. land — a country
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — to come down

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