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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. spring — a coil
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. branch — a division
  18. mine — for digging
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — the season
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fall — the season
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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