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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · hand · perch · land · mine · safe · tube · ground

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. ground — the earth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. land — a country
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. tube — the underground
  15. land — ground
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — a position
  18. hand — help
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ground — crushed
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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