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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: mine · face · wound · bound · chest · date · drill · safe

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chest — a box
  3. face — to confront
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. drill — army training
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chest — of your body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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