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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bulb — for light
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. branch — a division
  7. wake — a trail
  8. game — wild animals
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. game — a match
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — to go on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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