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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 120 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: last · bass · kid · branch · pass · trunk · patient · drill

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kid — to tease
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. last — final
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bass — low music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. last — finally
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. drill — army training
  18. branch — a division
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pass — to succeed

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