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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lean — thin
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — part of the head
  8. shower — rain
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lean — to bend
  16. branch — a division
  17. face — to confront
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. shower — to wash
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. trunk — of a car

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