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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 · content · stick · mug · can · race · tear · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. 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. lean — thin
  2. race — a contest
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a cup
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. race — the arms race
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mug — a face
  12. race — humankind
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. lean — to bend
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. 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