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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 124 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. roll — a cake
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — a coil
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rush — hurry
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. content — happy
  19. spring — the season
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. roll — a list
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a tree

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