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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · season · bound · clip · safe · wound · degree · craft

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — in sport
  9. craft — a skill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — tied together
  12. craft — boats
  13. bound — obliged
  14. clip — a video
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pound — a weight
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. clip — to cut
  24. season — of the year

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