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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. net — in sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stand — to bear
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — to trim
  12. deal — to handle
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. net — after costs
  19. rush — hurry
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. prune — to trim
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. branch — of a tree

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