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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 · shower · cap · clip · ruler · stand · mine · wound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cap — a hat
  6. shower — rain
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — a video
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  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