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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
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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 · lean · lie · safe · bulb · firm · key · cell

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. firm — steady
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. key — in music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lean — to bend
  16. firm — a company
  17. lean — thin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cell — in biology
  24. firm — decided

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