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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: tube · season · safe · wound · board · dip · snap · wind

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to click
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. board — a committee
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tube — a container
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. tube — the underground
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. tube — in a tire

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