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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 120 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: band · mark · cell · saw · safe · shower · clip · fine

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — a trace
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cell — a phone
  11. band — a ring
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fine — all right
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. clip — a video
  19. fine — high quality
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cell — in biology

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