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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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 — calm and waiting
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wax — to grow
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wax — in the ear
  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