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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: deal · branch · racket · patient · spring · pitcher

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — to handle
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. branch — a division
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water

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