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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · safe · mine · craft · hand · kid · shower · foot

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mine — for digging
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hand — help
  9. shower — rain
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spring — of water
  16. kid — child
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hand — in cards
  20. kid — to tease
  21. craft — a skill
  22. shower — to wash
  23. craft — boats
  24. mine — belonging to me

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