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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 116 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: branch · dip · patient · cap · present · firm

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cap — of ice
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. firm — decided
  9. cap — a hat
  10. branch — a division
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. cap — a lid
  14. present — the time now
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. present — there
  18. dip — to sink

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