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

Word bank: cell · branch · cold · rash · fall · club · suit · patient

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cold — not warm
  3. club — a group
  4. fall — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rash — hasty
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fall — to drop
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. suit — clothes
  18. club — for golf
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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