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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: bound · jam · safe · fan · object · last · roll · land

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. land — to come down
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bound — obliged
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. roll — a list
  9. object — an aim
  10. bound — tied together
  11. last — final
  12. land — ground
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. land — a country
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. roll — a cake
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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