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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — of a king
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lean — to bend
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tube — a container
  10. lean — thin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. drill — army training
  16. court — for sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — a division
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. court — of law
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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