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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — of water
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tear — to rip
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to click
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — certain
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spring — the season
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — a trainer

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