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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: club · tear · calf · field · safe · spring · pass · court

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. field — a subject
  8. court — of a king
  9. spring — of water
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. field — farmland
  13. spring — a coil
  14. club — for golf
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. club — for dancing
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of law
  19. field — for sport
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. spring — the season
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. club — a group
  24. court — for sport

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