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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. snap — to click
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. deal — to handle
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mine — for digging
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. branch — a division
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. safe — a strongbox

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