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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: cold · chest · shower · date · board · wave · pass · safe

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pass — a permit
  6. chest — a box
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. board — a committee
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cold — not warm
  22. board — to get on
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wave — with your hand

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