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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fine — all right
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fine — high quality
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. board — to get on
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. board — a committee
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. plane — an aircraft

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