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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 116 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: cold · spring · swing · safe · bound · rock · fan · nail

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rock — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rock — a stone
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spring — a coil
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bound — certain
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. swing — music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. safe — out of danger

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