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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: cell · club · band · rock · field · nail · safe · mate

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — a phone
  6. field — a subject
  7. cell — in biology
  8. club — for golf
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rock — a stone
  15. field — for sport
  16. rock — music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a ring
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — farmland
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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