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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mate — to breed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bark — to shout
  8. court — of a king
  9. mate — a partner
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — of law
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — for sport
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. mate — a friend

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