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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. date — the fruit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. branch — a division
  13. race — a contest
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. race — humankind
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kick — in football
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bass — the instrument

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