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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: bank · safe · bat · stick · cold · bound · mine · bulb

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bank — for money
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bank — for money

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