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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bank — of a river
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ground — the earth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bank — for money
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. swing — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. swing — to play 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