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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. branch — a division
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mark — a grade
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fall — to drop
  16. club — a group
  17. row — to paddle
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. content — the amount
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — to pay attention

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