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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ball — a great time
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stand — to bear
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. ball — a dance
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — a trail
  21. branch — a division
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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