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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ground — a position
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — to rob
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. deal — an agreement

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