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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. branch — a division
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — a hat
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — a lid
  24. band — a music group

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