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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. last — final
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. shower — to wash
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — to go on
  10. present — a gift
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. shower — rain
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — finally
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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