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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: bank · band · field · lean · cue · safe · wound · cabinet

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cue — for pool
  5. field — a subject
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. cue — a hint
  10. field — farmland
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — for sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bank — for money
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cue — a signal

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