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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cold — an illness
  3. present — the time now
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spring — the season
  7. wax — to grow
  8. present — there
  9. spring — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cold — not warm
  14. branch — a division
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. track — a path
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. track — a song
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spring — a coil

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