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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. branch — a division
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. last — final
  6. rush — hurry
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. branch — of a bank

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