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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fall — the season
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. file — a tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fall — to drop
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. present — the time now
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. branch — a division
  14. file — a line of people
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — hasty
  19. vault — a safe
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a document
  24. rash — a series

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