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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 116 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. file — a line of people
  8. net — in sport
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. net — after costs
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. branch — a division
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — to recline
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — for catching
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — a series
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — a straw man

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