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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cold — not warm
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. branch — a division
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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