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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. branch — a division
  3. current — of water
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. court — for sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. court — of law
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bear — the animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. row — a line
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. current — electric
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — to crush
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. court — of a king
  22. last — to go on
  23. row — to paddle
  24. current — happening now

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