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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: temple · toast · wound · can · leaves · race · shower · safe

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. race — a contest
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. race — humankind
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. shower — rain
  11. can — to be able to
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wound — an injury

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