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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cap — of ice
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — happy
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. content — the amount
  11. perch — the fish
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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