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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bank — of a river
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. face — to confront
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — hasty
  10. capital — a city
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. capital — money
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — a division
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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