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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — a position
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mine — for digging
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bank — of a river
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bank — for money
  17. lean — thin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ground — crushed
  22. capital — money
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. capital — a city

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