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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: swing · vault · chest · spring · mouse · safe · bound · hide

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bound — obliged
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — of water
  19. swing — to play on
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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