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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. row — a line
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — to be able to
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. can — a tin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — to breed
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. can — a tin
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fall — to drop
  21. sharp — clever
  22. branch — a division
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. sharp — exactly

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