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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: squash · bank · mine · can · field · safe · cabinet · spell

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spell — magic
  4. field — a subject
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — the sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. squash — to crush
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spell — a short time
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spell — letters
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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