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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · sharp · cap · branch · patient · rash · present · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cap — a hat
  3. present — there
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — the time now
  12. rash — a series
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — a division
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rash — hasty
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. present — a gift

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