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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — to keep track
  8. last — finally
  9. branch — a division
  10. track — a path
  11. band — a ring
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. kick — in football
  15. band — a music group
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. last — final
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. branch — of a tree

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