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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: date · bat · bound · file · shower · bulb · calf · safe

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — the animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bound — tied together
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. file — a document
  11. bound — obliged
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — certain
  22. bulb — for light
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. file — a tool

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