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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: straw · plane · fan · wound · mine · safe · bank · file

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bank — of a river
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bank — for money
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. plane — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. mine — for digging

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