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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: wind · bat · bank · safe · shower · bay · ground · cell

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — rain
  4. bank — of a river
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wind — moving air

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