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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: safe · season · pitcher · march · calf · wave · bound · nail

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — certain
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bound — tied together
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — music
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pitcher — a jug

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