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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 · band · bay · club · hide · kid · stick · wound

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. club — for golf
  5. wound — an injury
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — to tease
  13. band — a music group
  14. club — a group
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. band — a ring
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kid — child

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