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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spring — the season
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — a coil
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. charge — a price
  14. spring — of water
  15. charge — in control
  16. rock — music
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rock — a stone
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. swing — 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