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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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 — a sick person
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spell — a short time
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — the earth
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fine — high quality
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fine — all right
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ground — a position
  23. spell — magic
  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