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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rock — music
  11. branch — a division
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. sharp — clever
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — thin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. field — for sport

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