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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lean — to bend
  6. snap — to click
  7. row — a line
  8. band — a music group
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — a lid
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — thin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cap — a hat
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cap — of ice
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. shower — rain
  23. rash — a series
  24. safe — out of danger

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