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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · wound · bay · branch · safe · current · mine · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. current — of water
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cold — an illness
  7. current — electric
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mine — for digging
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. current — happening now
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mine — belonging to me

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