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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mate — a friend
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bound — certain
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. row — to paddle
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — a hint
  21. branch — a division
  22. row — a line
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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