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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: nail · march · file · bank · row · safe · wave · band

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. band — a music group
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bank — for money
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. band — a ring
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bank — for money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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