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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chest — a box
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — a division
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. shower — to wash
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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