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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: tube · lean · swing · face · race · band · safe · wake

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. band — a ring
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wake — a trail
  8. band — a music group
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. race — humankind
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. tube — a container
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. swing — music
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. race — the arms race
  22. face — to confront
  23. swing — to play on
  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