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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · ground · arm · cell · spell · mate · safe · current

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — magic
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. current — happening now
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mate — a partner
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mate — to breed
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — electric
  17. spell — letters
  18. ground — crushed
  19. current — of water
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ground — a position
  23. cell — in biology
  24. arm — part of the body

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