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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cell — in biology
  6. file — a document
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. file — a line of people
  15. march — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rock — a stone
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — a division
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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