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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. branch — a division
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lean — thin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — in a road
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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