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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. branch — a division
  6. roll — a list
  7. row — a line
  8. rush — hurry
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. capital — money
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. row — to paddle
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — a committee
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. board — to get on
  22. capital — a city
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. roll — a cake

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