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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. branch — a division
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. face — to confront
  6. clip — to cut
  7. face — part of the head
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. firm — a company
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — a video
  14. firm — decided
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bat — the animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cell — in biology

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