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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cell — a phone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — the time now
  11. net — in sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — clever
  19. present — a gift
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. net — after costs
  24. calf — a young animal

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