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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: spring · safe · bound · file · press · season · wind · dip

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — the season
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bound — certain
  6. press — a publisher
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. press — newspapers
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — obliged
  15. spring — a coil
  16. file — a line of people
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — of the year
  20. file — a tool
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — in sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. press — to push

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