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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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. branch — a division
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rash — a series
  7. face — to confront
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spell — letters
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spell — a short time
  13. field — a subject
  14. land — ground
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. spell — magic
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. field — for sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. land — to come down
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. field — farmland

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