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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 120 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tube — a container
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. net — for catching
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitch — completely
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. net — in sport
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bat — the animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. branch — a division
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bat — in an idiom

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