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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. drill — army training
  6. bank — for money
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bank — of a river
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. deal — to handle
  21. drill — a practice
  22. branch — a division
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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