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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — to confront
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — rain
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — after costs
  17. field — for sport
  18. bank — of a river
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — for catching
  21. field — a subject
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. face — to point toward

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