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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: mine · face · safe · bat · ground · spring · squash · cabinet

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spring — the season
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spring — a coil
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ground — a position
  7. spring — of water
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — the earth
  11. face — to point toward
  12. squash — the sport
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. face — to confront
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bat — in an idiom

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