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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 120 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: safe · snap · arm · shower · file · bear · plane · calf

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. plane — a tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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