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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. branch — a division
  7. board — a committee
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. root — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. board — to get on
  14. cap — a lid
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. root — of a word
  20. bulb — for light
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cap — a hat
  24. swing — in golf

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