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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · ball · bound · patient · tear · safe · trunk · mine

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bound — certain
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tear — to rip
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spell — magic
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — letters
  24. bound — tied together

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