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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 120 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: ball · hand · bark · wake · wound · safe · rush · saw

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ball — a great time
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. hand — help
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wake — a trail

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