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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cue — a hint
  7. object — to protest
  8. rash — hasty
  9. staff — a stick
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — a series
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. cue — for pool
  17. net — in sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. branch — a division
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. object — a thing
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. net — for catching

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