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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. suit — in cards
  8. sharp — clever
  9. suit — to fit
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — a division
  16. root — of a word
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. suit — clothes
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. root — the cause

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