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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: cabinet · can · land · bass · bat · shower · safe · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — ground
  6. bat — the animal
  7. can — a tin
  8. land — to come down
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — a country
  17. bass — low music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. shower — to wash
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. shower — rain

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