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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: calf · land · mouse · safe · shower · squash · wound · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. land — to come down
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — to tease
  16. squash — the sport
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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