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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. face — to point toward
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. face — part of the head
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. chest — a box
  8. face — to confront
  9. club — for golf
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. branch — a division
  13. craft — a skill
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. present — the time now
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — a gift
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. craft — boats
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. club — a group
  22. chest — of your body
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. club — for dancing

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