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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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 — a strongbox
  2. mug — to rob
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. spell — letters
  5. mug — a face
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — thin
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spell — magic
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — in golf
  14. vault — a safe
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lean — to bend
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. swing — to play on
  19. branch — a division
  20. mug — a cup
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. swing — music
  23. spell — a short time
  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