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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. lie — to recline
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — a path
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. march — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chest — a box
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. content — the amount
  19. branch — a division
  20. chest — of your body
  21. track — a song
  22. chest — of your body
  23. content — happy
  24. safe — out of danger

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