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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · clip · content · stand · bound · safe · date · kick

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. kick — in football
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bound — tied together
  7. clip — a video
  8. spring — of water
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stand — to bear
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. spring — the season
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — certain
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spring — a coil
  24. content — the amount

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