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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: shower · club · present · safe · wake · stand · hand · pop

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — in cards
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — a gift
  5. pop — soda
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. club — for dancing
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — help
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pop — music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. club — for golf
  22. pop — to visit
  23. club — a group
  24. wake — a trail

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