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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: chair · fall · ground · dip · spring · rule · safe · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — a coil
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fall — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rule — government
  24. nail — for a hammer

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