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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.

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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: safe · drill · face · spell · bear · tear · bound · kid

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. kid — child
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — army training
  8. spell — a short time
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — letters
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bear — the animal
  14. face — to confront
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to point toward
  17. spell — magic
  18. bound — certain
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tear — from crying
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bound — obliged

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