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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. shower — rain
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. craft — boats
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bound — certain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — a phone
  19. craft — a skill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bound — obliged

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