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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rash — hasty
  3. branch — a division
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rash — a series
  9. game — a match
  10. clip — for paper
  11. game — wild animals
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pit — a hole

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