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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — to drop
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — the season
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lie — to recline
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — from a university
  24. patient — a sick person

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