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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. suit — in cards
  9. branch — a division
  10. suit — to fit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. face — to confront
  22. roll — a list
  23. suit — clothes
  24. straw — dry grass

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