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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. branch — a division
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. scale — in music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. scale — size or range
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — in biology
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tear — to rip
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hand — part of the body

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