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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: spell · rash · can · bound · spring · dip · tube · safe

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. can — a tin
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — of water
  9. dip — to sink
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rash — a series
  15. tube — a container
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. spell — letters
  22. spring — the season
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — magic

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