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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: wave · kick · safe · saw · field · band · leaves · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. field — a subject
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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