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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bank — for money
  4. root — of a plant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. roll — a cake
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. clip — a video
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — the cause
  13. stock — shares
  14. root — of a word
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stock — goods
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bank — of a river
  20. roll — a list
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — to cut

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