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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. land — to come down
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — obliged
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — an amount
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. land — a country
  12. bound — tied together
  13. land — ground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. branch — a division
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wound — an injury

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