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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: field · safe · kid · content · branch · mug · date · arm

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. branch — a division
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mug — a face
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — farmland
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mug — to rob
  17. date — the fruit
  18. content — happy
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  24. kid — child

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