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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. drill — the tool
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — army training
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. branch — a division
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. capital — a city
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — money

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