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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — a subject
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — a division
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mug — a face
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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