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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bound — certain
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — for sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. court — of a king
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — to drop
  17. court — of law
  18. rock — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rock — a stone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rock — to move gently

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