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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 120 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: spring · pop · saw · rush · chest · safe · content · arm

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. spring — the season
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rush — hurry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. content — happy
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pop — music
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — of water
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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