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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cell — a phone
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cell — in biology
  24. branch — a division

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