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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — of water
  12. season — of the year
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — the fish
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. safe — out of danger

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