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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · branch · patient · fan · cell · bound · rule · track

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — certain
  10. file — a tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rule — a law
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cell — a phone
  16. file — a document
  17. rule — government
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. track — a song

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