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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. dip — to sink
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. branch — a division
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cold — not warm
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — to dunk

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