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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: wound · race · field · stand · calf · bark · safe · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bound — certain
  8. bark — to shout
  9. field — farmland
  10. race — humankind
  11. field — a subject
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bound — obliged
  15. race — a contest
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. race — the arms race

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