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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: hide · safe · wave · band · bank · field · tear · stock

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a ring
  12. stock — goods
  13. tear — to rip
  14. field — a subject
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — for sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. band — a music group
  20. field — farmland
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — for money

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