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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chest — of your body
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. branch — a division
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chest — a box
  16. roll — a list
  17. stock — shares
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — goods
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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