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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. field — farmland
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — low music
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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