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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 · band · squash · bound · toast · straw · hand · safe

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bound — tied together
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. squash — the sport
  5. band — a music group
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. squash — to crush
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bound — certain
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bound — obliged
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. band — a ring
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. hand — help
  24. safe — out of danger

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