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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — in cards
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. tube — the underground
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — a container

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