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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: band · bear · hand · march · race · safe · spring · snap

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — humankind
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. march — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hand — help
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — of water
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. race — a contest

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