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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: land · safe · last · cap · season · wound · stand · object

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. object — an aim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. last — final
  9. land — to come down
  10. cap — of ice
  11. last — finally
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. last — to go on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stand — to bear
  17. object — a thing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — a country
  21. cap — a lid
  22. season — in sport
  23. object — to protest
  24. cap — a hat

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