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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hand — help
  4. cue — a signal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — a hint
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — in cards
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. branch — a division
  18. chip — for betting
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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