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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: safe · field · roll · wave · wound · chair · pound · fan

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — farmland
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. roll — a list
  17. field — a subject
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. field — for sport
  24. roll — on a roll

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