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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pound — a weight
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rush — hurry
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wax — to grow

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