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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: hand · stick · wake · hide · deal · bound · wind · safe

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — certain
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — to handle

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