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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. branch — a division
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — after costs
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mate — a partner

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