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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: bat · bound · mark · mine · trunk · pitcher · safe · tear

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tear — from crying
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tear — from crying
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. mark — to pay attention

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