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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: lean · wave · patient · club · hand · branch · mine · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mine — for digging
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. club — a group
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. club — for golf
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — thin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — help
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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