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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pop — soda
  4. game — a match
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ball — a dance
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — music
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. date — the fruit
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ball — a great time
  24. branch — of a tree

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