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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. branch — a division
  4. land — to come down
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — a coil
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — ground
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — a country
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — part of the body

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