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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cell — a phone
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. fall — the season
  16. capital — money
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. branch — a division
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. current — happening now
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. branch — of a bank

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