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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. branch — a division
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. dip — to sink
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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