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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. field — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. field — farmland
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tube — a container
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. spring — of water
  21. field — a subject
  22. spring — the season
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spring — a coil

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