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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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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: clip · bore · kick · patient · branch · fall · firm · bear

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — to cut
  4. firm — a company
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fall — the season
  10. branch — a division
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bore — to drill
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bear — the animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. firm — decided
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. clip — for paper
  19. firm — steady
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — in football
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bear — to put up with

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