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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stock — goods
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stock — shares
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. file — a tool
  11. shower — rain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. file — a line of people
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lean — thin
  18. bound — certain
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. file — a document
  21. shower — to wash
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. branch — a division

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