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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 120 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: cue · safe · fork · cold · bowl · spring · band · kick

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. band — a music group
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. kick — in football
  18. cold — not warm
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — an illness
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spring — a coil
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cue — a signal

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