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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: rash · firm · shower · wind · file · field · safe · lie

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — farmland
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. firm — decided
  7. lie — to recline
  8. file — a tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rash — hasty
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. firm — a company
  15. shower — rain
  16. field — for sport
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. firm — steady
  20. shower — to wash
  21. file — a line of people
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a document
  24. rash — a series

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