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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: rest · ground · arm · spring · mug · safe · pound · plane

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. ground — the earth
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — of water
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rest — a break
  12. ground — crushed
  13. plane — a tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ground — a position
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mug — a face
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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