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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — the season
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bank — of a river
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. foot — a measure
  24. patient — a sick person

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