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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: safe · bound · pop · march · cell · shower · firm · spell

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. firm — a company
  3. spell — letters
  4. pop — music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cell — a phone
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. firm — steady
  9. march — music
  10. spell — magic
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — to visit
  19. march — the month
  20. pop — soda
  21. shower — to wash
  22. march — the month
  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