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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: hand · race · toast · mine · wound · safe · calf · pound

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mine — for digging
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. race — humankind
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — help
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. race — the arms race
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pound — a weight
  24. race — a contest

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