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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. branch — a division
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tear — to rip
  12. deal — to handle
  13. hand — help
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a dance
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lean — thin
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bowl — a dish

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