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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — a friend
  3. scale — in music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mate — to breed
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a partner
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. roll — a list
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. branch — a division
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. roll — a cake
  24. patient — a sick person

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