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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. net — for catching
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rule — a law
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

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