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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: ground · mine · safe · present · swing · row · trunk · bowl

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ground — the earth
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ground — crushed
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. ground — a position
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — a line
  19. swing — to play on
  20. present — a gift
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. swing — music

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