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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. branch — a division
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — the animal

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