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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: file · craft · chest · safe · shower · jam · ground · tear

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. chest — a box
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. craft — boats
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. shower — to wash
  10. file — a document
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. chest — of your body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. ground — crushed
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. craft — a skill
  17. shower — rain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a tool
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tear — to rip

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