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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 · last · key · mine · safe · rush · bulb · ground

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — a country
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ground — a position
  12. last — finally
  13. key — in music
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. bulb — for light
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ground — the earth
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mine — for digging

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