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

Word bank: face · shower · safe · arm · ground · trunk · fan · saw

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — to point toward
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. face — part of the head
  11. saw — the tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — to wash
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ground — crushed
  23. shower — rain
  24. ground — a position

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