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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chest — a box
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — to come down
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. land — ground
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. prune — to trim
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chest — of your body
  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