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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: dip · safe · spring · season · ground · patient · band · trunk

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — a coil
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — the season
  12. dip — to sink
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. ground — the earth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. ground — crushed
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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