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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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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. net — after costs
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. net — in sport
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. scale — in music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. net — for catching
  15. band — a music group
  16. cap — a hat
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cap — of ice
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lie — to recline

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