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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: rule · safe · shower · row · tear · ground · bass · mug

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ground — crushed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rule — government
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — rain
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rule — a law
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. row — a line
  19. ground — a position
  20. shower — to wash
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a face

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