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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 116 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: branch · rest · hand · net · lie · ball · spell · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. lie — to recline
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — a break
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — for catching
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spell — magic
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — an untruth

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