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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.

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: spring · rule · wind · field · bass · net · rock · safe

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. spring — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — farmland
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. rock — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — after costs
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rule — a law
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — of water

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