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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 a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. branch — a division
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cold — not warm
  7. roll — a cake
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. roll — a list
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. hand — help
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — to put up 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