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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. swing — to play on
  6. staff — a stick
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cell — a phone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. swing — music
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in biology
  13. branch — a division
  14. ball — a great time
  15. season — in sport
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. dip — to sink
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. staff — employees
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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