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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. branch — a division
  3. rush — hurry
  4. field — a subject
  5. content — the amount
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. season — of the year
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. branch — of a bank

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