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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · shower · wax · bat · row · temple · pitcher · fork

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wax — to grow
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — the animal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — rain
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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