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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — a division
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — a path

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