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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: bat · degree · safe · lean · date · face · lie · wound

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lean — thin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lean — to bend
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. face — to confront
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. date — the fruit
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. date — on the calendar

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