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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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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: fork · craft · tear · band · fan · row · safe · shower

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. shower — rain
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a music group
  11. row — a line
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. band — a ring
  24. row — a quarrel

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