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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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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: leaves · spring · bore · safe · branch · lean · wind · land

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — a country
  3. spring — a coil
  4. land — ground
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — of water
  14. branch — a division
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lean — thin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. lean — to bend

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