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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. court — of law
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. track — to keep track
  22. court — for sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. straw — dry grass

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