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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 · mark · patient · nail · jam · date · bat · pit

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. branch — a division
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — on a finger

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