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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 · bear · pass · spring · land · pound · wound · craft

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. land — ground
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. land — to come down
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spring — the season
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. craft — boats
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — of water
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wound — an injury
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. land — a country

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