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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: safe · wake · rock · wind · scale · chest · can · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. can — to be able to
  5. scale — size or range
  6. can — a tin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chest — of your body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — in music
  11. race — a contest
  12. can — a tin
  13. rock — a stone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. race — the arms race
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chest — a box
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rock — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chest — of your body
  24. safe — a strongbox

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