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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. branch — a division
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lean — thin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lean — to bend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — a trace

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