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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: net · cap · nail · roll · bound · race · safe · spring

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. roll — a cake
  4. net — in sport
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spring — the season
  7. race — the arms race
  8. net — after costs
  9. bound — tied together
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cap — a hat
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spring — of water
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. race — a contest
  21. bound — certain
  22. roll — a list
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. race — humankind

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