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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · kid · stand · spell · mug · land · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — to rip
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mug — a cup
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. season — in sport
  9. land — a country
  10. kid — child
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — of the year
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spell — letters
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — to tease
  17. land — to come down
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mug — a face
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — magic
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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