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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. branch — a division
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cell — a phone
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. chest — a box
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — thin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — for money
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — of a river
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bank — for money
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wind — to turn a key

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