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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · wound · tube · straw · race · safe · rush · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. tube — a container
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — humankind
  7. object — a thing
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rush — hurry
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tube — the underground
  20. object — an aim
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. race — a contest
  24. tube — in a tire

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