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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 116 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: bass · can · rash · rest · spring · safe · rock · wake

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rest — a break
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spring — of water
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bass — low music
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rest — what's left
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — the season
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. can — a tin
  23. rock — music
  24. rash — a series

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