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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lean — to bend
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spell — a short time
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bear — the animal
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lean — thin
  13. spell — letters
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — to recline
  20. branch — a division
  21. spell — magic
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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