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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. stock — goods
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — a video
  14. object — a thing
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. branch — a division
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stock — shares
  23. coach — a trainer
  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