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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: land · key · safe · plane · ball · stem · shower · cold

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. key — for a lock
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a great time
  6. plane — a tool
  7. land — ground
  8. ball — a dance
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stem — to come from
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. shower — to wash
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cold — an illness
  19. land — a country
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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