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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. track — a path
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stand — to bear
  16. track — to keep track
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. track — a song
  19. spring — the season
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cold — an illness
  24. arm — part of the body

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