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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spring — a coil
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. branch — a division
  23. degree — temperature
  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