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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: ground · rush · tube · cold · safe · season · fan · staff

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. staff — a stick
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. season — of the year
  16. tube — the underground
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — in sport
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — a container

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