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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: wake · pit · chest · safe · clip · hide · shower · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wake — a trail
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — a video
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pit — in a race
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pit — a hole
  18. shower — rain
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. safe — a strongbox

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