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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — a series
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fork — in a road
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. branch — a division
  17. last — final
  18. swing — music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — of ice
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — to eat with

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