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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: toast · band · bulb · row · mine · spell · safe · kick

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bulb — for light
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. band — a music group
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. spell — magic
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. toast — bread
  22. spell — a short time
  23. kick — in football
  24. row — to paddle

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