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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: wave · safe · key · bass · cell · field · rest · spring

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spring — the season
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — what's left
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bass — the fish
  17. field — for sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. rest — a break
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. safe — out of danger

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