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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: tear · scale · nail · rash · safe · ground · bat · leaves

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rash — hasty
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ground — crushed
  17. scale — in music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rash — a series
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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