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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. dip — to sink
  4. branch — a division
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a match
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mate — a friend
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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