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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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 bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. spring — of water
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ground — crushed
  8. swing — in golf
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ground — the earth
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — the season
  14. season — in sport
  15. swing — music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — a coil
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. season — of the year
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — a division
  24. racket — a loud noise

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