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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — farmland
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bound — tied together
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. plane — a tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fine — high quality
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. field — a subject
  21. fine — all right
  22. cell — a phone
  23. tear — from crying
  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