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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a city
  8. tube — a container
  9. chest — a box
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. capital — money
  15. branch — a division
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — a tool
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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