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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: straw · file · pitcher · safe · bank · kid · band · land

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. land — ground
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. file — a document
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kid — to tease
  12. land — to come down
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. kid — child
  17. land — a country
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. straw — dry grass

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