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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 116 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: rock · shower · safe · lean · bass · snap · plane · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rock — music
  5. race — humankind
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rock — a stone
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lean — thin
  13. plane — a tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. snap — to click
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. shower — to wash
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bass — low music

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