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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — happy
  7. rule — government
  8. land — to come down
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. land — ground
  12. ground — a position
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — a country
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rule — a law
  19. content — the amount
  20. club — for dancing
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — crushed
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ground — the earth

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