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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cell — in biology
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. last — to go on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. arm — part of the body

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