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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — to breed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mate — a partner
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. drill — the tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — in music
  24. calf — a young animal

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