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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wake — a trail
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. present — there
  9. rule — government
  10. clip — a video
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. present — the time now
  13. rule — a law
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rash — a series
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. branch — of a bank

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