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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 · fall · spring · ground · sharp · bulb · jam · race

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spring — a coil
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — the season
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. race — a contest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ground — crushed
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fall — the season
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. race — humankind
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ground — a position

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