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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. branch — a division
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. board — a committee
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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