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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: clip · safe · race · pitcher · pop · present · spring · can

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. race — humankind
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — to be able to
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pop — to visit
  9. present — there
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — a contest
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pop — soda
  15. present — the time now
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. clip — to cut
  18. can — a tin
  19. pop — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — a gift
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — the season
  24. clip — a video

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