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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: chest · bear · lean · firm · bound · safe · tear · ground

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. chest — a box
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. firm — a company
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — certain
  13. lean — to bend
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. tear — to rip
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. lean — thin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ground — a position

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