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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — a city
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. content — the amount
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — happy
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. sharp — clever
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. capital — money
  23. branch — a division
  24. hide — to keep secret

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