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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: bore · chest · foot · bound · safe · spring · sharp · last

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — of water
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — certain
  7. spring — the season
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chest — a box
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. last — finally
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — final
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. sharp — exactly

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