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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 116 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: fall · spell · race · wave · last · trunk · net · safe

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — a contest
  7. last — final
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spell — magic
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — humankind
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. net — after costs
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — in sport
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — letters
  21. fall — the season
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. net — for catching

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