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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: nail · safe · lie · band · shower · mine · ground · bat

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — rain
  11. ground — a position
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ground — crushed
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. ground — the earth
  19. band — a ring
  20. bat — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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