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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ball — a dance
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — obliged
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — certain
  20. branch — a division
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bound — tied together
  24. safe — out of danger

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