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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: safe · cell · rash · squash · band · bay · hide · face

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — in biology
  5. face — part of the head
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to confront
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. face — to point toward
  18. band — a ring
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. band — a music group

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