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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: mine · fine · snap · clip · bound · wind · safe · rash

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rash — a series
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. fine — all right
  13. bound — obliged
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. clip — a video
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. clip — to cut

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