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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: patient · branch · date · chest · bear · can · pit · stock

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chest — a box
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pit — in a race
  8. date — the fruit
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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