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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. roll — a list
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. file — a document
  9. cell — a phone
  10. roll — a cake
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — government
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — in biology
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a tool
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — rain
  23. file — a line of people
  24. shower — to wash

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