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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: safe · pass · race · roll · prune · shower · band · tube

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pass — a permit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tube — the underground
  6. band — a music group
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. race — the arms race
  10. prune — to trim
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. shower — rain
  13. band — a ring
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tube — a container
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. roll — a cake
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. roll — a list

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