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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. tube — a container
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — farmland
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. toast — bread
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tube — the underground
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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