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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. tear — to rip
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — to tire
  6. lean — thin
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pit — a hole
  11. branch — a division
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bore — to drill
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — a trail
  24. branch — of a tree

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