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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — help
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. perch — the fish
  8. craft — boats
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — the underground
  12. toast — bread
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — a division
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. tube — a container
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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