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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fine — all right
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. last — final
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — finally
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — to go on

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