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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: straw · bark · staff · patient · jam · rock · branch · court

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — a division
  7. bark — to shout
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. staff — employees
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rock — music
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — for sport

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