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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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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: saw · kid · fall · shower · game · race · safe · bank

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bank — for money
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kid — to tease
  8. saw — the tool
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. race — humankind
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. shower — to wash
  17. race — a contest
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bank — of a river
  22. race — the arms race
  23. kid — child
  24. bank — for money

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