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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — a division
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. foot — a measure
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rule — government
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. key — in music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — a law
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — for a lock

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