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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bass — the fish
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — a series
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. face — part of the head
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bass — low music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rash — hasty
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. roll — a list

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