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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: tube · safe · wake · calf · board · pitcher · wind · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. board — a committee
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. tube — the underground
  19. board — to get on
  20. race — humankind
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — a container
  24. wake — a trail

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