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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 · squash · roll · lie · march · prune · swing

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. march — the month
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lie — to recline
  8. roll — a cake
  9. march — music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. squash — the sport
  14. shower — to wash
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — to play on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. swing — in golf
  22. roll — a list
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. swing — music

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