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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: mouse · net · wave · safe · land · file · date · bound

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. file — a document
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. date — the fruit
  13. net — after costs
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. file — a line of people

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