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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — to recline
  5. march — the month
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. march — music
  9. bank — of a river
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — a stick
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lie — an untruth

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