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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. firm — a company
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. firm — decided
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. track — to keep track
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — a path
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. firm — steady
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. track — a song

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