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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: march · tear · safe · bound · chip · mug · cell · spring

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mug — a cup
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mug — a face
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tear — to rip
  19. march — the month
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bound — tied together
  22. tear — from crying
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spring — the season

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