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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — low music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. season — in sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — of the year
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lean — thin
  21. branch — a division
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cell — a phone

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