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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: mate · cold · spring · toast · land · lash · safe · firm

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. spring — the season
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. land — a country
  9. cold — an illness
  10. firm — steady
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. firm — decided
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cold — not warm
  18. toast — bread
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. firm — a company
  21. spring — of water
  22. mate — a partner
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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