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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. branch — a division
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — to eat
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. board — a committee
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. swing — music
  14. staff — a stick
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. swing — to play on
  17. row — a line
  18. wound — an injury
  19. board — to get on
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chip — for betting

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