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

Word bank: sharp · toast · cap · branch · wound · safe · kid · band

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wound — an injury
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wound — an injury
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. band — a music group
  16. toast — bread
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. band — a ring
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kid — child
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — of ice

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