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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: safe · bound · kid · bear · pitcher · capital · craft · row

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. kid — child
  3. row — to paddle
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bound — certain
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. row — a line
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. capital — a city
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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