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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — to tease
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. band — a music group
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — child
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. perch — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — for a bird

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