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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fine — all right

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