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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. branch — a division
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — the underground
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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