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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: track · straw · last · saw · arm · safe · shower · land

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. shower — to wash
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. track — to keep track
  7. last — final
  8. track — a song
  9. land — a country
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. land — to come down
  12. shower — rain
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. last — finally
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. land — ground
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — a path
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — the tool

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