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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: mouse · ball · ground · rash · stem · safe · shower · net

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. net — for catching
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ground — a position
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. shower — rain
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ball — a great time

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