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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: rash · pit · straw · squash · safe · bank · club · shower

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pit — a hole
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. shower — rain
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. shower — to wash
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. club — for golf
  11. squash — the sport
  12. club — a group
  13. bank — for money
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rash — a series
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bank — for money
  21. pit — in a race
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — hasty
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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