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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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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: track · lean · cell · fine · last · fan · bound · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lean — to bend
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — tied together
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. fine — all right
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. track — a path
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. track — a song
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bound — certain
  23. lean — thin
  24. track — to keep track

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