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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 120 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: hand · wave · stick · cell · wound · race · safe · snap

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in biology
  7. hand — help
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — an injury
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. snap — to click
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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