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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 120 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: staff · court · nail · shower · ground · wave · safe · file

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. court — of law
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. staff — employees
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. court — of a king
  17. ground — the earth
  18. court — for sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. nail — for a hammer

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