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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. toast — bread
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. club — for dancing
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. file — a line of people
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. capital — a city
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. capital — money
  22. club — a group
  23. safe — out of danger
  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