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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: kid · cap · pound · nail · bound · land · safe · spell

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bound — certain
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. land — ground
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spell — magic
  11. cap — of ice
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bound — tied together
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — letters
  18. kid — child
  19. bound — obliged
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. kid — to tease
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pound — for dogs

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