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

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. content — happy
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pop — to visit
  6. scale — in music
  7. content — the amount
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pop — music
  14. branch — a division
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. scale — size or range
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mate — a friend

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