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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · shower · saw · safe · lean · row · present · band

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — thin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. band — a music group
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. band — a ring
  9. shower — rain
  10. present — the time now
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lean — to bend
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. row — a line
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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