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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · bound · saw · spring · swing · face · band · safe

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. face — to point toward
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. face — to confront
  8. spring — a coil
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bound — obliged
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a ring
  22. face — part of the head
  23. band — a music group
  24. swing — to play on

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