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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · race · band · safe · squash · rule

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. band — a music group
  5. rule — government
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tear — to rip
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rule — a law
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the sport
  17. band — a ring
  18. tear — from crying

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