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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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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: stand · bass · tube · wind · foot · wound · bat · safe

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bass — low music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wind — moving air
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. foot — part of the body

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