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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: wake · foot · wound · bowl · squash · cold · safe · tube

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wound — an injury
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cold — not warm
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cold — an illness

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