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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: mine · safe · bound · jam · pitcher · can · racket · tube

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — certain
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bound — tied together
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tube — a container
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — obliged
  22. tube — the underground
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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