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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 120 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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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: bound · bear · swing · pound · cell · safe · wind · object

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. swing — in golf
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cell — a phone
  7. swing — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. object — a thing
  11. wind — moving air
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — certain

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