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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: bass · fan · spring · face · net · cue · safe · hand

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — the season
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bass — the fish
  9. face — to confront
  10. spring — of water
  11. net — for catching
  12. hand — help
  13. bass — low music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. cue — a hint
  20. face — part of the head
  21. net — after costs
  22. hand — in cards
  23. net — in sport
  24. bass — the instrument

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