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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: band · safe · date · spring · rush · net · land · stem

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stem — to come from
  8. net — after costs
  9. spring — of water
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. band — a music group
  12. spring — the season
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. land — ground
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spring — a coil
  18. band — a ring
  19. net — for catching
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — in sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. date — the fruit

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