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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: face · branch · land · bat · stick · straw · foot · safe

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — the animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. land — a country
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. branch — a division
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. land — to come down
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. land — ground
  16. face — part of the head
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — to point toward
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. face — to confront
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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