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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: shower · bay · spring · bulb · march · safe · bear · net

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — of water
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. shower — rain
  6. march — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spring — a coil
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. spring — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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