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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 120 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 · pitcher · wave · bound · file · perch · cell · safe

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. band — a ring
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a document
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cell — a phone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a tool
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — obliged
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bound — tied together
  24. perch — for a bird

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