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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ground — a position
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — a country
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hand — help
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — of a tree

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