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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: fork · band · sharp · bound · tube · tear · current · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — electric
  3. tube — a container
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bound — tied together
  8. current — of water
  9. band — a ring
  10. tear — from crying
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bound — certain
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tube — the underground
  15. current — happening now
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. band — a music group
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — obliged
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — in a road
  22. sharp — clever
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — exactly

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