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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — obliged
  4. march — music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — a division
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bound — certain
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. present — a gift

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