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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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cell — a phone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. branch — a division
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ground — a position

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