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

Word bank: safe · clip · bank · wave · last · field · racket · firm

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. field — for sport
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bank — for money
  5. firm — a company
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. firm — steady
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bank — of a river
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — a subject
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. firm — decided
  17. field — farmland
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. last — finally
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — to go on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. safe — a strongbox

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