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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spell — magic
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — to sink
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. spell — letters
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. swing — music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. dip — to dunk

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