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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: band · mug · safe · clip · chest · dip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mug — a face
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chest — of your body
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chest — a box
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chest — of your body

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