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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: hand · leaves · date · content · season · safe · suit · shower

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — to wash
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. suit — to fit
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — in cards
  9. content — the amount
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. shower — rain
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. suit — clothes
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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