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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — of water
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of a king
  11. bound — certain
  12. court — for sport
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — the season
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — tied together
  18. march — music
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. court — of law

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