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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: patient · last · branch · pitcher · present · bank · date · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. present — the time now
  3. last — to go on
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mug — a cup
  7. present — a gift
  8. mug — a face
  9. bank — of a river
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — the fruit
  15. last — finally
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — final
  21. present — there
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — for money
  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