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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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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: tear · bound · pass · straw · band · file · nail · safe

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. file — a document
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. file — a line of people
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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