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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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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 · club · wave · tear · race · toast · shower · stand

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. race — humankind
  3. club — a group
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. club — for dancing
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stand — to bear
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — the arms race
  19. tear — to rip
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. tear — from crying
  22. club — for golf
  23. race — a contest
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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