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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — to go on
  3. present — the time now
  4. last — final
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. present — a gift
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bank — for money
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bank — for money
  19. branch — a division
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. present — there

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