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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 120 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: cold · branch · game · foot · safe · firm · tear · saw

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. game — a match
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. game — wild animals
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. firm — a company
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. firm — decided
  22. branch — a division
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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