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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chest — a box
  4. spring — the season
  5. bank — for money
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — of water
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. land — ground
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — to come down
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. land — a country

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