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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: wake · bound · safe · mouse · cell · rush · cap · stock

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stock — shares
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bound — certain
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stock — goods

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