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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. tear — to rip
  22. capital — a city
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. season — to add flavour

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