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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mug — to rob
  4. drill — army training
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. field — a subject
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. field — for sport
  13. mug — a face
  14. bass — the fish
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — for betting
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. bass — low music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. drill — a practice

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