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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. branch — a division
  4. court — of law
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spring — a coil
  7. deal — to handle
  8. track — to keep track
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spring — the season
  11. scale — in music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. court — for sport
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — of a king
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — of water
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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