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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — bread
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — goods
  8. branch — a division
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fall — the season
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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