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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — happy
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — the tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lean — thin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — hasty
  19. branch — a division
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rash — a series
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. drill — a practice
  24. lean — to bend

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