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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: branch · racket · patient · rule · pitch · shower · net · tear

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rule — government
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitch — completely
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. net — after costs
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — to wash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rule — a law
  23. shower — rain
  24. tear — from crying

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