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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spell — letters
  5. swing — music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. track — a path
  10. branch — a division
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — a song
  21. spell — magic
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bat — in an idiom

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