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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. face — to confront
  4. season — of the year
  5. foot — a measure
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — the season
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. season — in sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. face — to point toward
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spring — of water
  19. face — part of the head
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spring — a coil
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — a division

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