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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: drill · shower · bat · staff · safe · date · spell · wave

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. spell — letters
  3. drill — a practice
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. staff — employees
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. drill — the tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. staff — employees
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — the animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — a stick

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