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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. sharp — clever
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. field — for sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ball — a great time
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — a subject
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mine — belonging to me

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