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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · branch · season · calf · cold · capital · pitcher · patient

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cold — not warm
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — money
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — a division
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cold — an illness

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