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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — a division
  7. face — to point toward
  8. row — to paddle
  9. face — part of the head
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. face — to confront
  12. row — a line
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. tear — to rip
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — for digging
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — in traffic

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