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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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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: snap · content · tear · bound · craft · trunk · foot · safe

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. content — happy
  3. bound — tied together
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — certain
  10. craft — a skill
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bound — obliged
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tear — to rip
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. content — the amount
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. craft — boats

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