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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 116 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: rash · pound · march · spring · leaves · chair · rush · safe

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. march — music
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spring — of water
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spring — the season
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rash — a series

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