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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mate — a friend
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. net — in sport
  6. suit — clothes
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mate — a partner
  10. net — for catching
  11. suit — to fit
  12. land — ground
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. net — after costs
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — a division
  19. mate — to breed
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — for digging
  24. suit — in cards

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