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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. field — a subject
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ground — crushed
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ground — the earth
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. kick — in football
  23. key — in music
  24. tear — from crying

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