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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spring · wind · stand · track · bowl · mark · safe

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spring — of water
  5. track — a path
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — a position
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mark — a grade
  22. track — a song
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — the season

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