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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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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: bear · safe · mine · swing · pound · race · cabinet · root

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bear — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. race — a contest
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. race — humankind
  8. root — the cause
  9. swing — to play on
  10. root — of a word
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. race — the arms race
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. root — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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