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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: fine · nail · wound · cold · suit · land · patient · branch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — a division
  8. land — ground
  9. fine — all right
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cold — not warm
  12. suit — in cards
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cold — an illness
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. land — to come down

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