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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: craft · shower · band · ground · kid · toast · safe · rest

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ground — crushed
  3. craft — boats
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. band — a music group
  13. kid — child
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. shower — rain
  16. ground — the earth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rest — a break
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. craft — a skill
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — bread
  23. band — a ring
  24. ground — a position

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