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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mate — a partner
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — a container
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — hasty
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wave — with your hand

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