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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lean — thin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cell — in biology
  6. field — farmland
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rock — music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kid — to tease
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cell — a phone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. field — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — child
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. field — a subject
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rock — a stone
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. branch — a division

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