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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: mine · band · safe · hide · shower · court · roll · bass

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. roll — a list
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the fish
  9. shower — to wash
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. band — a ring
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mine — for digging
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. shower — rain
  24. band — a music group

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