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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. tube — the underground
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. branch — a division
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tube — a container
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. patient — a sick person

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