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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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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: safe · bound · cell · tear · rock · firm · mine · snap

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rock — music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. firm — a company
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rock — a stone
  14. firm — steady
  15. snap — to click
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cell — in biology
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. firm — decided
  24. safe — out of danger

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