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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hand — help
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — a city
  7. branch — a division
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. root — of a word
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. date — the fruit
  13. suit — to fit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. suit — in cards
  16. root — the cause
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. capital — money
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wound — an injury

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