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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · safe · mouse · chest · drill · fall · branch · march

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. march — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. branch — a division
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fall — the season

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