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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 120 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: spring · band · last · cell · field · safe · saw · foot

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spring — the season
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. foot — a measure
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a music group
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cell — a phone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — a subject
  20. last — finally
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. cell — in a prison

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