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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rash — a series
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — a division
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — all right

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