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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 120 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: bound · content · safe · shower · patient · pop · spring · ball

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. shower — rain
  3. content — the amount
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bound — certain
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — the season
  10. pop — soda
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bound — tied together
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spring — of water
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ball — a dance
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — obliged
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — music

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