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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bank — of a river
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — a division
  13. bank — for money
  14. rock — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cold — not warm
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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