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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: roll · face · shower · safe · ground · bat · wave · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. roll — a list
  4. face — to confront
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. roll — a cake
  12. ground — crushed
  13. shower — rain
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ground — the earth
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. face — to point toward
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — a position
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bat — the animal

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