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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bank — for money
  13. track — a song
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. land — ground
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bank — of a river
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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