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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bank — for money
  9. branch — a division
  10. bat — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. current — happening now
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. clip — to cut

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