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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · mine · shower · leaves · ball · safe · march · temple

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a dance
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. row — a line
  18. ball — a great time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — rain
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. march — the month

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