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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cap — of ice
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — a division
  12. cap — a lid
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to point toward
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spring — the season
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — of water

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