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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: foot · band · file · shower · safe · content · land · straw

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. shower — to wash
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. content — happy
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. file — a document
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. content — the amount
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — a measure
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. file — a line of people

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