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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: chest · safe · bound · march · bank · mouse · tube · pop

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tube — a container
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bank — of a river
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bank — for money
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chest — a box
  17. pop — soda
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bound — tied together
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bound — certain
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  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