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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. perch — the fish
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. track — a song
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. track — to keep track
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a path
  24. row — a line

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