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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 · craft · squash · arm · band · ground · firm · last

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. band — a music group
  3. last — final
  4. ground — the earth
  5. craft — a skill
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. last — to go on
  8. craft — boats
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. firm — steady
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. firm — decided
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. ground — a position
  22. firm — a company
  23. ground — crushed
  24. band — a ring

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