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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. rest — a break
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — a division
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — for sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — rain

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