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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — a line
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cue — for pool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. branch — a division
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — a signal
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cue — a hint
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. jam — in traffic

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