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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: safe · rash · craft · wax · stand · content · bat · shower

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — the amount
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — boats
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. shower — rain
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rash — a series
  19. content — happy
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — for baseball

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