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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a dance
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. land — a country
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — a division
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. net — for catching
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. net — in sport
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. land — ground

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