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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. branch — a division
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rule — a law
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rule — government
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. season — in sport
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ground — crushed
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ground — the earth
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. calf — a young 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